Obama visits troops, spends a low-key Christmas with family

First Lady Michelle Obama and President Obama look to each other as the president speaks to members of the military and their families at Marine Corps Base Hawaii on Christmas Day.

First Lady Michelle Obama and President Obama look to each other as the president speaks to members of the military and their families at Marine Corps Base Hawaii on Christmas Day. (Carolyn Kaster / Associated Press)

President Obama and his wife, Michelle, made their customary Christmas visit to greet troops at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, offering thanks and encouragement to some 580 service members before spending the evening at home with friends and family.

The ocean-front Marine base at Kaneohe Bay -- where Obama also works out, plays golf and goes to the beach with his family -- is a five-minute drive from the Obamas’ vacation rental in Kailua.

In a speech at the chow hall, Obama acknowledged the "friends and comrades" who are raising their families on the base while their loved ones serve in Afghanistan and elsewhere.

In a three-minute speech before he stepped off the stage to greet Marines individually, Obama noted that he had recently spoken to soldiers in Afghanistan and Bahrain, among other places.

"It was just a sampling of the incredible sacrifice that all of you and your families make every single day," the president said. "Michelle and I know that we would not enjoy the freedoms we do if it weren't for the incredible dedication and professionalism and work that you do. The least we can do is just let you all know we're grateful to you.

"We hope that the mess has done right by you and that the food is pretty good," the president added before wishing the troops a Mele Kalikimaka -- the Hawaiian saying for "Merry Christmas."

So far, the Obamas have ventured out for dinner only once: to Morimoto, the upscale sushi restaurant of "Iron Chef" star Masaharu Morimoto, on Sunday after attending the Oregon State-Akron basketball game at the Diamond Head Classic. (Michelle Obama’s brother, Craig Robinson, coaches Oregon State.)

During his low-key holiday in the state where he grew up, the president has played golf each day, alternating between the court at the Marine Corps Base Hawaii Kan'eohe Bay and Mid-Pacific Country Club in neighboring Lanikai.

“Today we want all our troops to know that you’re in our thoughts and prayers this holiday season,” Obama said in the video missive. “And here’s the good news: For many of our troops and newest veterans, this might be the first time in years that they’ve been with their families on Christmas. In fact, with the Iraq war over and the transition in Afghanistan, fewer of our men and women in uniform are deployed in harm’s way than in any time in the last decade.”

“And that’s something that we all can be thankful for,” his wife added.

On Christmas Eve, the president made calls to service members stationed around the world, including those who were injured over the weekend during an aborted rescue mission in South Sudan. And Michelle Obama fielded Christmas Eve calls from children across the country to discuss Santa’s whereabouts as he was monitored by the NORAD Tracks Santa program, which was launched in the 1950s after a child called the Continental Air Defense Command Operations Center in Colorado inquiring about Santa’s location.

The program keeps a 25-hour operations center open with 1,200 volunteers fielding calls from children on Christmas Eve. The first lady was one of those volunteers Tuesday, updating a series of young callers on Santa’s movements “at the speed of light” over Egypt and South Sudan, and chatting with them about their bedtimes and their Christmas wishlists.

“What I want for Christmas is the Transformer — whose name is Metroplex,” one child told her.

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